This is an artist's concept of a galaxy with a brilliant quasar at its center. Using the unique capabilities of Webb, scientists will study six of the most distant and luminous quasars in the universe.
On July 12, the world will have a new perspective of the universe, when the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mission[1] releases its first set of full-color images as well as spectroscopic data. One of the photos to be released is the deepest image of our universe that has ever been taken, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told reporters on Wednesday.
"This is farther than humanity has ever looked before," Nelson said, calling the telescope "nothing short of a real scientific feat."
The JWST was launched in December from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, as part of an international program between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. Located one million miles away from Earth, the telescope was developed to study the evolution of our solar system.
The photos that will be released were chosen for their spectacular color imagery, NASA said Wednesday, as well as to demonstrate the breadth of science that the JWST is supporting.
"We're only beginning to understand what Webb can and will do," Nelson said. "It's going to explore objects in the solar system and atmospheres of exoplanets orbiting other stars -- giving us clues as to whether their atmospheres are similar to our own. It may answer some questions that we have. Where do we come from? What more is out there? Who are we?"
Each image released next month will reveal different aspects of the infrared universe in unprecedented detail and sensitivity, scientists said Wednesday during a news conference.
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